Electrical outlet and receptacle testers are compact devices that are used to test the electrical connections of an alternating current (AC) power outlet. A typical outlet tester includes electrically conductive prongs that are arranged for compatibility with the socket layout of the outlet under test. In the United States, for example, most outlet testers include three prongs for compatibility with standard three-socket AC outlets: two parallel blades (corresponding to the line and neutral sockets) and an offset prong (corresponding to the ground socket). An outlet tester is simple to use; the prongs are inserted into an electrical outlet and indicator lights are illuminated in accordance with the electrical connections of the outlet. Most modern outlet testers utilize three indicator lights, and the illumination pattern indicates whether the outlet under test is wired correctly or whether there is a wiring fault.
Conventional AC outlet testers are unable to detect an incorrectly wired outlet having both the ground and neutral terminals tied to the line wire (the “hot” wire) and having the line terminal tied the ground wire (or the neutral wire). Although this is an uncommon wiring mistake, it may appear in older homes where an original two-wire outlet has been “converted” into a modern three-wire outlet. In such a scenario, the original two wires (line and neutral) are mistakenly swapped, and the ground terminal of the three-wire outlet is tied to the same outlet terminal as the original neutral wire. Under these conditions, a conventional AC outlet tester will indicate that the outlet is properly wired.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to have an improved AC outlet tester that does not suffer from the shortcomings and deficiencies of conventional outlet testers. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.